-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- If you prefer your prose pulpy , hard-boiled as a country egg and darker than a midnight shade of noire , then you may be ready for some `` Fun & Games . ''

The new page-turner from modern pulp master Duane Swierczynski -LRB- pronounced sweer-ZIN-ski -RRB- hits bookstores Tuesday . Swierczynski is the author of several acclaimed crime thrillers , a regular contributor to Marvel Comics and has collaborated with Anthony E. Zuiker , the Hollywood mastermind behind TV 's `` CSI '' on the series of best-selling , Level 26 `` digi-novels . ''

His book reads like a Quentin Tarantino movie on speed , full of high-octane action , flying by at a breakneck pace , not for the faint of heart , but also with plenty of humor .

`` Fun & Games '' is the first book in a trilogy , about an unkillable ex-cop with a checkered past and a B-movie actress with a deadly secret . This pair of misfits is thrown together then hunted by a small army of mysterious hit men dubbed `` the accident people . ''

While Swierczynski hails from Philadelphia , this book is set in Hollywood and takes advantage of a sunny locale loaded with shady people . The story starts with a white-knuckle car chase through the Hollywood Hills , grabs readers by the scruff of the neck and refuses to let go for the next 304 pages .

CNN talked to the author last week . The following is an edited transcript .

CNN : What led you to start a trilogy ?

Swierczynski : `` Fun & Games '' is about an alcoholic house sitter who , one sunny California morning , finds himself squared off against the most lethal killers in the world . It 's kind of a blend of `` Home Alone '' and `` Die Hard . ''

The only reason that it 's a trilogy is because I could n't quite kill off the house sitter , Charlie Hardie , in one book . -LRB- He dies in the opening pages of the sequel , `` Hell & Gone . '' -RRB- OK , I 'm kidding about that . -LRB- Or am I ? Hmmm ... -RRB-

When I originally pitched my editor , John Schoenfelder , I had a one-shot thriller in mind , but he asked if there was a way to build it into a bigger story . That 's the sick genius of Schoenfelder ; whatever you 're thinking , he 's thinking BIGGER . It 's inspiring , in a demented sort of way .

CNN : Who are `` the accident people '' ?

Swierczynski : I love books and movies about hit men . It just strikes me as the ideal job -- you set your own hours , you bring your own gear , you accept only the work you want . When I thought about the perfect hit team , it occurred to me that maybe they would have had experience in a different , yet related , field . I do n't want to spoil anything , so I 'll stop there ... but there 's a specific reason these guys operate out of L.A.

CNN : Your novels have been described as high octane , brutal and smart but also with a sense of humor , sound accurate ?

Swierczynski : Whoever said that is very kind , and I owe them money . But that 's certainly the target I 'm aiming for . If someone closes one of my novels before finishing , I consider it a failure . So I 'm doing everything in my power to keep those pages turning -- even if I have to resort to fireworks and tap-dancing .

CNN : What led to your website , `` Secret Dead Blog ? ''

Swierczynski : My love of noir and pulp grew right out of my teenage love of horror fiction -LRB- which I still love -RRB- . The best genre thrillers show people pushed to their extremes , and it 's fascinating to watch how characters deal with those extremes .

Secret Dead Blog started as a way to share cool stuff with friends , then turned into a place where I can hang with readers and show them cool stuff . I do n't update it as often as I like ; Twitter often robs me of my urge to blog .

CNN : You 've also recently been involved in digi-novels and an e-story tie in to the `` L.A. Noire '' video game . Will we see more of that ?

Swierczynski : Absolutely . I 'll always be a sucker for new , shiny toys . I do n't want to write the same book endlessly and then die ; I 'd rather be known as the guy who tried as many different formats and subgenres as possible . Even if some of those efforts are disasters .

CNN : Philadelphia features prominently in much of your writing , but `` Fun & Games '' switches coasts .

Swierczynski : Well , for better or worse , Philly is where my imagination goes to play . The more I travel , though , the more my imagination likes to hang out in other cities . This is how the L.A.-set `` Fun & Games '' came about ; the story just refused to take place anywhere else .

CNN : What 's on your summer reading list ?

Swierczynski : Such a great question , because I leave for a cross-country book tour/road trip in a few weeks , and I 've been obsessing about which books to pack . Some of the definites :

-- `` The Big Book of Adventure Stories , '' edited by Otto Penzler

-- `` Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead , '' by Sara Gran

-- `` The End of Everything , '' by Megan Abbott

-- `` The Pack , '' by Jason Starr

-- `` You 're Next , '' by Gregg Hurwitz

-- `` The Damned Highway , '' by Brian Keene and Nick Mamatas

And a pile of comics and magazines and road atlases and travel guides . Of course , the joy of being on the road is the opportunity to pick up more books from many fine idea shops across the country . I may have to ship my children home separately to make room for more books .

CNN : What 's next ?

Swierczynski : My first issue of `` Birds of Prey , '' for DC Comics , will appear this September -- which is part of the companywide relaunch of every single title -LRB- all with new No. 1 issues -RRB- . If you 're not familiar with the Birds , they 're an all-female covert ops team who operates out of Batman 's Gotham City . -LRB- I 'm giddy just typing that . -RRB-

October brings `` Hell & Gone , '' the sequel to `` Fun & Games . '' And then in late December : `` Dark Revelations , '' my third Level 26 thriller with Anthony E. Zuiker . It 's been kind of a crazy year , now that I think about it ...

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Author Duane Swierczynski talks to CNN about his new thriller , `` Fun & Games ''

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`` Fun & Games '' is the first in a trilogy

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It 's about an alcoholic house sitter who faces lethal killers

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Swierczynski has written for TV 's `` CSI '' and runs a Website called Secret Dead Blog